Like her TV alter, VanCamp prefers to be a mystery

This time last year, Emily VanCamp was hoping and praying her ABC series "Revenge" would be a success. It was -- and regularly won its time slot.

Now she's gearing up for the show's second season, premiering Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT.

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"I was wondering what was going to happen with the show and, oh gosh, I remember just trying to repress the stress so much," VanCamp said in a recent interview. "You just want to focus on the work and not pay too much attention to all that stuff, but you're putting so much of yourself into it, and the fact that it all paid off and that it did so well has been kind of extraordinary. It's been a crazy year to say the least."

VanCamp plays Emily Thorne, a young woman out to get even for her father's death. She infiltrates a wealthy community in the Hamptons to take down the people who betrayed her family.

Like her character, 26-year-old VanCamp is a private person who prefers to remain a bit of a mystery to the public. She doesn't like to talk about her personal life (although she's rumored to be dating her "Revenge" co-star Josh Bowman) and says she's trying to come to terms with the public's interest in her life now that she has a hit TV show.

"We live in a time where the media is a very difficult thing to navigate because it's everywhere, and I tend to want to be a lot more private with my life," she said. "I've managed to do that for 10 years in this business.

"I've found a really nice balance, but this show is a different scale so ... I'm trying to figure all that out at the moment but ... some of the actors that I admire the most do have an element of intrigue. You don't know everything about them. It's very important to be able to distinguish the actors from the characters they play."

One thing VanCamp is getting used to as a leading lady is being sleep deprived.

"I'm exhausted almost all the time," she said. "I keep saying I'm weirdly preparing myself for motherhood because once you can get ahold of this sleep deprivation thing I think you have a leg up. And I'm definitely sleep deprived."

VanCamp also has adjusted to her high-profile role in "Revenge" by seeing herself as part of an "incredible" cast.

"I think it's really interesting to say 'my show' or 'I'm a lead of it' because it is such a collaborative thing ... but I am definitely there all the time," she laughed.

"I'm excited by challenging myself physically and mentally every day. That's what keeps me going and makes me love what I do so I really can't complain about it." She pauses then says: "I complain sometimes. I'm not gonna lie."